Police locked down New Delhi's key government district ahead of Monday's visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, after two days of pitched street battles following the gang rape of a woman on a bus.

Putin is scheduled to meet with Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh Monday afternoon and later with the Indian president.

Authorities erected security barriers throughout the city's Raisina Hills area -- home to the presidential mansion, the parliament building and federal ministerial blocks. Only those authorized to work in the district were allowed to pass.

Furious weekend demonstrations rocked Raisina Hills as public outrage surged after a 23-year-old woman was sexually assaulted and beaten to near death on a bus on December 16 by a group of six suspects, now under arrest, police say.

India rape protests – An Indian activist gets his head shaven in protest against the Dehli gang-rape in New Delhi on Friday, January 4. A gang of men is accused of repeatedly raping a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in New Delhi. Police formally charged the five suspects with rape, kidnapping and murder after the woman died.

Hide Caption

1 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Indian lawyers shout during a protest at the entrance to Saket District Court in New Delhi on Thursday, January 3.

Hide Caption

2 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – About 600 guitarists play John Lennon's "Imagine" in a tribute to the rape victim in Darjeeling on January 3.

Hide Caption

3 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Indian women take part in the Women's Dignity March in New Delhi on Wednesday, January 2. Several hundred people participated in the solidarity march organized by the government, which ended at Rajghat, the memorial for Mohandas Gandhi.

Hide Caption

4 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, center, participates in a group prayer during the Women's Dignity March on January 2.

Hide Caption

5 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Indian demonstrators perform a prayer ritual in memory of a gang-rape victim in New Delhi on Monday, December 31. The family of the victim said they would not rest until her killers are hanged as they spoke of their own pain and trauma over a crime that has united the country in grief.

Hide Caption

6 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – A Sri Lankan opposition United National Party activist places her signature on a banner in memory of the Indian gang-rape victim in Colombo on December 31.

Hide Caption

7 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Indian protesters hold candles during a rally in New Delhi on Sunday, December 30, following the cremation of the gang-rape victim.

Hide Caption

8 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Indian protesters walk with police officials during a rally in New Delhi on Sunday, December 30, following the cremation of a gang-rape victim in the Indian capital. The 23-year-old student died Saturday and was cremated at a private ceremony, hours after her body was flown home from Singapore. She had been gang-raped and severely beaten on December 16, triggering an outpouring of grief and anger across India.

Hide Caption

9 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Indian protesters sit by lit candles and hold placards in New Delhi on December 30 during a protest against the gang rape.

Hide Caption

10 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Indian residents pray during a gathering in New Delhi on December 30.

Hide Caption

11 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Protesters hold candles during a vigil in New Delhi on Saturday, December 29, after the death of a gang-rape victim. Authorities erected security barriers throughout New Delhi's key government district after two days of street battles following a woman's gang rape on a bus on December 16. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appealed for calm and pledged safety for women and children.

Hide Caption

12 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Indian residents hold lighted candles during a rally in Amritsar on December 29.

Hide Caption

13 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Students in New Delhi on Thursday, December 27, protest a recent brutal gang rape in the city.

Hide Caption

14 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Demonstrators shout slogans and wave placards as they move toward India Gate in New Delhi on December 27.

Hide Caption

15 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Riot police keep watch along a sealed-off road near the India Gate monument on Monday, December 24, in New Delhi after weekend clashes between protesters and police.

Hide Caption

16 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Police fire tear gas on Sunday, December 23, during a protest calling for better safety for women following last week's rape. Thousands of protesters defied a ban on demonstrations in New Delhi on Sunday, venting their anger about the incident.

Hide Caption

17 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Police attempt to disperse protesters on December 23. For a second day, demonstrators were blasted with water cannons in the Indian capital. While some dispersed, others huddled tightly in a circle to brave high-pressure streams in the cold weather.

Hide Caption

18 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Demonstrators turn a car over on December 23.

Hide Caption

19 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Students chant anti-police slogans during a protest against the Indian government's reaction to recent rape incidents in India, on Saturday, December 22, in New Delhi, India. The demonstration was prompted by wide public outrage over what police said was the gang-rape and beating of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in the capital last Sunday.

Hide Caption

20 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Demonstrators react from tear gas fired by police on December 22. New Delhi alone reported 572 rapes last year and more than 600 in 2012.

Hide Caption

21 of 29

Photos: India rape protest29 photos

India rape protests – Police arrest a demonstrator during a protest on December 22. Sunday's attack sparked furious protests across India, where official data show that rape cases have jumped almost 875% over the past 40 years -- from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011.

Authorities haven't released the name of the rape victim, but protesters are calling her "Damini," which means "lightning" in Hindi.

"Damini" is also a 1993 Bollywood film whose lead female character fights for a housemaid, a victim of a sexual assault.

"We support you Damini. We'll keep fighting for you," a middle-aged woman at the historic India Gate said Sunday. "Damini wants justice," read a placard at the protest.

The rape victim's injuries were so severe she spent days in intensive care in a city hospital, battling for her life. Police said Saturday that she had recovered enough to give a statement to a magistrate from her hospital bed the night before.

But on Sunday, she underwent another surgery to wash out infection in her abdomen, her doctors said.

The protests were among many anti-rape demonstrations staged across the country over the past week.

A video journalist was killed by police gunfire Sunday during a violent protest in India's remote northeastern state of Manipur, authorities said.

Reported rape cases have increased more than tenfold over the past 40 years -- from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011, according to official figures.

New Delhi alone reported 572 rapes last year and more than 600 in 2012.

As fury about the assault gathered pace, some Indian lawmakers called for treating rape as a capital crime.

"We'll work collectively to see we make a law which is deterrent and preventive," said New Delhi's chief minister, Sheila Dikshit.

India's home minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters Saturday that the government would work toward increasing punishment in "rarest of the rare" rape cases.

But pressed on whether the administration would agree to demands for death by hanging in such instances, he said: "We'll have to see in what way it (the rape sentencing) can be enhanced."

Shinde said the government was pushing for a speedy trial for the attack.

Authorities are also taking a number of steps to improve security for women in New Delhi, particularly on public transport, he said.

"(The) government shares the widespread concern and support that has been expressed throughout society for the girl who has so suffered. Government also respects the right of legitimate protest," Shinde said.

"At the same time, there is need to exercise calm at this juncture and for everyone to work together to improve the safety and security environment."